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Bolivarian Intelligence Service
thumb|250px|right|''El Helicoide'' building in Caracas - old headquarters of SEBIN SEBIN, the Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional ("Bolivarian National Intelligence Service"), is the premier intelligence agency in Venezuela. It was established in March 1969 with the name of DISIP, Dirección Nacional de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención ("National Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services"), by then-president Rafael Caldera, replacing the Dirección General de Policía (DIGEPOL). SEBIN is an internal security force subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. As of October 2009, the Minister of the Interior and Justice of the Venezuelan Government is Tarek El Aissami, appointed by President Hugo Chávez. The Venezuelan political police has an extensive record of human rights violations, from its foundation as hard-line dictator's Marcos Pérez Jiménez's police, who were in charge of torturing so-called "enemies of State", to its role as a base of operations against post-Revolution Cuba for the Central Intelligence Agency and Cuban exiles such as Luis Posada Carriles"Posada Carriles and his self-exiled Cuban cohorts held top positions in the DISIP during the late 1960s and early 1970s, utilizing the Venezuela intelligence division as a platform to wage their war against the Cuban Revolution. Venezuela became home to the largest Cuban exile community outside of Miami, and the base of operations for numerous terrorist activities that resulted in the death and injury of hundreds of innocent civilians in Cuba and abroad." - Venezuelanalysis, 29 June 2005, Venezuela Rejects CIA, But Opens Doors to FBI & DEA (who headed the Counterintelligence divisionCIA declassified document 926816, October 13, 1976), to recent allegations of torture and murder of political opponents.Human Rights Watch World Report 2001: Venezuela: Human Rights DevelopmentsHRW World Report 1999: Venezuela: Human Rights DevelopmentsLetter to President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (Human Rights Watch, 12-4-2004) In their 1997 and 1998 reports, Amnesty International details human rights violations by DISIP, including unlawful detention of Venezuelan human rights activists.1997 AI Report1998 AI Report A murderous rampage against suspected looters in the state of Vargas following the 1999 mudslides became, according to Human Rights Watch, "the first major human rights test of the Chávez government. At first, Chávez dismissed the reports as 'suspicious' and 'superficial,' but the evidence soon obliged the president and other top government officials to acknowledge the seriousness of the situation."Human Rights Watch World Report 2002: Americas: Venezuela Human Rights Watch expressed their deep concern over DISIP (and National Guard) abuse in Venezuela in a 2004 personal letter to President Hugo Chávez.Letter to President Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (Human Rights Watch, April 12, 2004) Amnesty International has also expressed concern over excessive use of force by the DISIP, and the increasing polarization and political violence in Venezuela since Chávez was elected in December 1998.Venezuela: Fear for safety/use of excessive force | Amnesty International On December 4, 2009, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, during a swearing-in ceremony for the high command of the recently created Bolivarian National Police (Policía Nacional Bolivariana), announced the change of name of DISIP, with immediate effect, to Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia, or Sebin).Venezuelan Disip to be now designated as Bolivarian Intelligence Service. ABN Accessed on December 4th, 2009 See also * Law enforcement in Venezuela * Dirección de Inteligencia Militar References Category:Venezuelan intelligence agencies Category:Law enforcement in Venezuela Category:Secret police de:Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención es:Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención pt:Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevención sv:DISIP